Does Janette Slack know her beats and her breaks? With gigs all over the world, residencies at the renowned Air and Torture Garden nights and recently crowned ‘Breaks Editor’ at pivotal UK dance music rag Mixmag, you’d better think so.

Since moving from Hong Kong to London around 2002, Janette Slack has established herself firmly in the UK’s DJ scene, gaining both the respect of her peers and those on the dance floor for her prowess behind the decks. Her hybrid mix sets seamlessly blur breaks, electro, tech and house – combining into a signature, driving style that seem to go with dance floors like petrol goes with a lit match! Continually busy, playing or producing, Janette’s DJing and passion for the scene has made her a favourite amongst UK and overseas fans alike.

2007 saw another ridiculously busy year for Janette, including a heavy gigging schedule throughout the UK and overseas, on top of her beloved residencies at the Air and Torture Garden nights. An experienced sound engineer/producer, she has also been working on a debut album of original material that’s due for release later this year. And amongst the million other projects in the fire, Janette was also recently appointed to the before mentioned position of Breaks Editor at Mixmag – someone definitely knows their beats! ITM recently caught up with Janette enjoying a well earned holiday in Sydney, to discuss her DJing, upcoming album and rollerblading around London.

Hi Janette! I hear you’re currently cruising on the east coast of Australia enjoying a few weeks holiday?

Yeah, I’ve been here 3 weeks now, in Sydney at the moment. I’m escaping a cold London winter! It was my first ever warm Christmas so it’s been really nice and relaxing.

What were some of the gig highlights for Janette Slack in 2007?

Definitely playing for Eric Morillo’s birthday night at Ministry in London, I know that sounds a bit cheesy! Honestly though it was an absolute fantastic night, Eric was playing in another room while I had fun playing breaks and dirty electro in the smaller room. It was really refreshing playing exactly what tracks I wanted to… Right through til like 6 or 7am. Killer night!

Playing the Air nights with Ali B and the various guest live acts were great fun too. And lastly there was the Halloween Torture Garden Party: it was Halloween, a Torture Garden gig AND my birthday… Bit of a triple whammy!

You’ve also been working on your album in 2007. How’s it progressing?

It’s going well thanks, I’m still working on it… It’s an album of all original tracks that will (hopefully!) see a mid 2008 release. Every track I’ve written has been completely different… One is a dirty house track, another aggressive breaks, next one is funky breaks. I’ve been thinking, “Hmmmmmm, now how am I going to get the album to flow?” [laughs]. So yep…it will be out on Air Recordings mid 2008. Very much looking forward to it!

You cut your teeth DJing in your native Hong Kong. What’s the club scene like over there?

To be honest I only ever get back to Hong Kong every two years or so for quick visits… So I can’t answer honestly for what’s happening on the club scene in Hong Kong right now. I can say that the city’s constantly changing…always many differences and changes every time I go back! So I guess the club scene in Hong Kong kind of evolves with the city as it grows and changes.

Recently a friend fresh back from overseas told me living in London was like a rapid flowing, surging river – you either jump in for the ride of your life or you sit down on the bank and watch it pass you by. When you first got to London in 2002, did you have a similar impression?

That’s quite a good analogy! Yes it was very similar to that when I moved to London…I just rocked up with no friends and no job. I just had my suitcase, my decks I mailed over from Hong Kong and the record bag, and it was like right – time to start a life! I was at college studying Sound Engineering, and also scored a part-time job at Fingerlickin’ Records which kept me busy. Once I finished my course, I was multi-tasking working 7 days a week in part time jobs, while trying to break in any way possible.

The UK DJ scene is obviously very competitive, you’ve got to get yourself out there as much as you can…I was doing all kinds of jobs like Lighting Technician, being a Roadie etc. From that I got a really good idea of how the club scene works from the inside, and of course that work led to other jobs like DJ openings! So yeah… Once the ball gets rolling, London life is great. I do of course miss my family and friends in Hong Kong, but London is where I call home now. I’ve met some amazing people, have some amazing friends and from London I’ve been able to travel quite a bit through Europe.

So you must be a transport guru around London by now?

Actually my main transport around London is rollerblading! I’d had enough of London public transport, the delays… So even though I couldn’t skate at all I bought some blades. You save so much time…it keeps you fit and best of all its FREE! These days if I have writers block or something, I hop on the blades and just get lost in London… Then head home when I’ve got a clear head.

You have a pretty diverse, signature DJing style that fuses breaks, electro, house and tech together. No matter which genre of track though, your mix sets seem to have some overriding themes that generates excitement on the dance floor – cheeky, sassy, funky, and hyped fun vibes all rolled into some driving beats! Would you describe your sets as something similar?

[Laughing] I‘d have to agree… I’d say all tracks in my sets are cheeky, chunky, twisted and demented! That’s how I like to put it anyway. It depends on what time I’m playing of course…these days it’s mostly the peaktime of the evening, so its all quite pumping – then sometimes goes on a bit of a tangent! [laughs]

Three tracks you’re caning at the moment?

D Ramirez More Than A lot (promo)
Claude Von Stroke Who’s Afraid of Detroit (*Stanton Warriors* remix)
Basskleph Bump Uglies

DJs/acts that have impressed you over the pass few months?

Diverted. Wicked DJs in their own right, but lately they’ve been playing live, all their original tracks live… and they are SUCH good musicians! Lee’s a great drummer…their live performances have blown me away every single show. They’ve got heaps of material to play with, and their show is technically very tight. Also Jimmy Mofo as far as DJing goes – there’s something about his style with breaks, and funky electro…definitely enjoy watching him play!

So finally Janette, we know your bringing you’re A-game to the decks here in Oz… But will we be seeing Janette’s A-game at the bar?

I actually (seriously) don’t have the enzyme that breaks down alcohol, so I’m really crap at drinking! One pint of beer or a glass of wine equals an instant hangover. However, I’ve recently discovered over the past couple of years I can drink Sake like no tomorrow! So yeah…if anyone’s having a Sake challenge I’m there!

Janette’s album is due mid 2008 on Air recordings. In the meantime she’ll be destroying dance floors throughout January at the following dates…

Friday Jan 11th @ Break and Enter, Brisbane.
Saturday Jan 19th @ Revolver, Melbourne.
Saturday Jan 26th @ Bar Broken, Perth (with Gully & Mono Lisa).
Sunday Jan 27th @ Upstairs Bar, Cottesloe Beach Hotel, Perth.